Telephone system



2 Sheets-Sheet 1'.

(No Model.)

P. A. HOLOOMB.

TELEPHONE SYSTEM.

No. 402,928. Patented May '7, 1889.

w W E N PETERS. Pmlmum n bm. W D. c.

(No Model.) I 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

P. A. HOLCOMB.

TELEPHONE SYSTEM.

No. 402,928. Patented May 7, 1889.

u Pnzns. Plums-Lithographer. viaum D. c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

FRED A. HOLCOMB, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

TELEPHONE SYSTEM.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 402,928, dated May '7, 1889.

Application filed October 11, 1887 Serial No. 252,051. (No model.)

To all whom it Til/(Ly concern.-

Be it known that I, FRED A. HOLCOMB, of Grand Rapids, in the county of Kent and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Telephone Systems; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it a1ipertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to telephone systems, and more particularly to recording mechanism for the same.

In the operation of telephone systems one subscriber signals the central office and requests to be put into communication with another subscriber. The operator rings the bell of the party wanted and often fails to get a response on account of the absence of said party, and hence the person calling is unable to communicate with the subscriber he has calledv It is the object of my present invention to obviate the inconvenience of such arrangements and provide means whereby a sub scriber can be notified that he has been called, and by whom, without interference of the operator at the central ofiice.

A further object is to so construct the device that the operation of a pull-button will shift the ground-connection of the instrument and throw the operating mechanism into action.

A further object is to produce a device whereby one subscriber can by the simple operation of a pull-button produce the number of his call upon a paper tape in alike device at the office of another subscriber.

\Vith these objects in view my invention consists in the peculiar construction and novel combination and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter set forth, and pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the under side of the machine. Fig. 2 is a side elevation with one of the supporting-plates removed. Fig. 3 is a side elevation in section looking toward plate A. Fig. 4 is a detached view of the circuit-shifting and ]'l1il(G-tl1(l-l)l6itl mechanism.

A A indicate two parallel plates of metal, substantially such as are used in the manufacture of clocks, being separated a suitable distance and supported at their four corners by connecting-rods A A block, B, of non conducting material and of L shape, is secured to the plate A 011 its inner face, and preferably near its lower right-hand corner. Upon the bottom face of the long arm of this block is a flat plate, 0, of spring metal, which is secured at one end to the block and provided near its free end with an angular projection, a, to enter a recess, 1), in the face of the block. A plate, c, is secured to the end of the block 15, and has its lower end bent over and made to bear upon the bottom face of the block, the free end of the spring C be ing adapted to normally make contact with this bent portion of the plate 0 and complete an electric circuit to the ground, as hereinafter explained.

An angle-piece, D, is pivoted to the outer face of the long arm of the block 13 at a point near its outer end and close to its upper edge by means of a pin passing through said anglepiece at the meetingpoint of its two arms (1 d. A make-and-break spring, E, is secured at one end to the short arm of the block B and extended parallel with the plate 0 throughout a portion of its length, and has its free end bent upwardly to make contact with the periphery of a notched wheel, F, fixed on an arbor, F, journaled in the plates A 1K.

A flat bar, G, is attached to the connectingrods A by means of screws, slots 8 being made in this bar to enable it to he slid up and down upon the pins or screws, as shown. A knob or pull-button, H, may be fixed to the lower end of the bar G, by which to operate it, and the upper end of the bar G may be bent or curved around the opposite connecting-rod A in order to limit its downward movement. The bar G is provided on its inner face with a bent arm, I, to which one end of a spiral spring, I, is attached, the other end of the spring being fixed to the connecting-rod A or a screw or pin passing through the same. The rod G is further provided at a point near its lower end with an inwardly-extending rod or arm, G, which, being bent upwardly and inwardly, is extended above the bent end f of an arm, f,which is secured to and projects from the arm d of the angle-piece D, and adapted to engage with said arm when the bar G is operated. A short pin, g, is fixed to the outer face of the arm 01 of the angle-piece D near its pivot and extends toward the outer frame-plate A of the machine, having its free end bent downwardly and provided at its extremity with a platinum point, which is adapted to make contact with another platinum point fixed to the upper face of the make-and-break spring E. A pin, it, is secured to the arm d of the angle-piece D, and, projecting from the inner face thereof, extends into the recess 1) in the block B under the spring-plate O and immediately in rear of the projection a in said plate.

When the parts are in their normal position, the contact of the plates 0 c completes a ground connection, the make and break mechanism being out of circuit; but when it is desired to throw the latter into circuit the button H is pulled down, which operation causes the angle-piece D to turn on its pivot through the medium of the arms or rods G and f, the plate 0 being lowered by the contact of the pin h with the projection aof the plate 0, and thus break the ground-circuit through the plates 0 c, as above explained. This operation also shifts the platinumpointed arm gand brings it into contact with the platinum point g of the make-and-break spring E, thus causing the current passing through plate 0 to flow through the pin h and angle-piece D, and thence through the contact points into the make-and-break spring E, and thence, by means of a wire, to the ground. Thus it will be seen that the ground-connection is shifted by the operation of the pullbutton and the circuit caused to pass through the make-and-break mechanism.

Fixed on the same arbor with the notched wheel F is a disk, J, provided with notches t' at diametrically-opposite points on its periphery, and a pin, j, of non-conducting material, in rear of each notch 2', the pins j extending at right angles to the face of the disk and adapted to strike the arm d of the angle-piece D and turn the same to shift the ground-connection and cut out the make-andbreak mechanism.

A lever, K, is pivoted to the end of a standard, K, which is secured to the plate A, and extends outwardly therefrom to a point in the same vertical plane with the angle-piece D and a proper distance above it. One end of this lever is made heavier than the other, and provided near said weighted end with an outwardly-projectin g pin 70, which is adapted to ride upon the periphery of the disk J and drop into one of the notchesz' thereof by gravity at each half-revolution of the disk. The

lever K is also furnished at the opposite side of its pivot with an outwardly-proj ecting pin, it, which, when the parts are in their normal position, serves as a stop for a detent arm, Z, secured to an arbor, Z, and made to rotate therewith. Said arbor, being pivoted between the plates A A, is provided near its opposite end with a spur-wheel, L, having an escapementpallet, L, arranged above it to engage its teeth. Y

A shaft, M, is journaled in the plates A A, and provided at one end with a drum or barrel, M, for the accommodation of a coiled spring, one edge of the periphery of this drum being formed with teeth to mesh with a pinion, 1 on an arbor, F, of disk J. The shaft M is also furnished with the usual pawland-ratchet mechanism to prevent the spring from accidental unwinding. The spring may be wound by means of a key applied to the free end of the shaft M, or otherwise, as desired. The arbor F is further provided near its outer end with a spur-Wheel, N, which meshes with a pinion, N, fixed on an arbor, N journaled in the plates A A, and a spurwheel, N, on said arbor meshes with a pinion, Z fixed on the arbor Z. The spur-wheel N also meshes with a pinion, O, fixed to an arbor, O, journaled in the plates AA. This arbor O is furnished at or near its center with a drum, 0 having a central groove, m, extending around its periphery. Another arbor, P, is journaled in elongated slots in the plates A A, and held to its place by means of springs P, fixed to the plates AA at one end, bearing at their free ends upon the arbor P. The arbor P is also furnished with a drum, P which is adapted to bear with a yielding pressure upon the drum 0 or upon the paper which passes between the drums. The paper strip also passes through a guide, 0 fixed to the plate A. A reel (not shown) will be provided for this strip of paper tape, which will be similar to that used with the printing-telegraph.

An electro-magnet, Q, is fixed to one end of the connecting-bars A between the plates A A, its cores extending in an upward direction substantially parallel withthe plates A A and to about one-half the height of the latter. One end of the helix'of this electromagnet is attached to the plate 0, while the other end is connected to the line-wire, as shown. A lever, Q, pivoted between the plates A A by means of trunnions Q, is provided with a soft-iron armature, Q at its outer end, to be attracted by the electromagnet Q when the latter is energized, as presently explained.

A post, n, having a cross-bar, n, is fixed to the plate A above the lever Q, the cross-bar n being directly over said lever. An adj usting-screw, n passes through one end of the crossbar n and normally rests against the end of the lever Q where the latter is connected to the armature Q This set-screw serves to regulate the amount of vibration of the armature Q. A screw rod, 0, passes through the cross-bar 'n at the end opposite to the set-screw n and has a spring, 0, attached to its lower end, the other end of said spring being connected to the lever Q to maintain the armature in a raised position.

The inner end of the lever Q is bent downwardly at an obtuse angle to the main portion of the lever and provided near its free end with a perforation for the reception of a pointed screw or pin, 13, which is adjusted to register with the groove in of the drum 0 and to strike the paper passing around the same when the armature is acted upon by the electromagnet Q. An arm, S, is secured to the lever Q, and, projecting downwardly and forwardly, has its lower extremity bent at right angles and extended under the weighted end of the lever K.

The operation of the device is as follows: \Vhen a subscriber calls the central office and requests to be put into communication with another subscriber, the operator at the central office simply connects the wires of the two circuits, after which his duty is completed. If the subscriber who is called fails to respond to his call, the subscriber calling pulls the button ll of his instrument, which operation will cause his number to be registered on a strip of paper in the instrument of the other subscriber and thus notify this party what subscriber has called him during his absence. This operation is performed by the apparatus which I have described in the following manner: The button ll being pulled, the anglepiece I) is turned on its pivot and the groundconnection shifted from the plate 0 through the makeaml-break mechanism,as previously explained. At the same operation the bent arm I will strike the leverK on its upper edge near one end and cause the pin 7.." to ride out of contact with the detent-arm Z on the arbor 7', and thus free the action of the actuatingspring and set the mechanism in motion. The pin of the lever K will be raised out of the notch f in the disk J and ride upon the periphery of said disk until the notch i at the diametricallyopposite side of the disk is reached, when the pin 7; will drop into the notch by gravity of the lever K, the opposite end of this leverbeing raised, and the pin is brought into the path of the detent-arm Z, and the motion of the mechanism at once arrested. During this movement of the disk J and just before the latter comes to rest, one of the pins,

j, secured thereto is caused to strike the upper edge of the arm d of the angle-piece D and turns the same on its pivot, this operation causing the pin it to ride back out of contact with the projection ct of the plate C, and thus allow said plate to again make contact with plate c and shift the current from the makeand-break mechanism.

Itwill be seen that the current being shifted to the make-and-break mechanism by means of the pull-button H is automatically shifted back again and caused to flow to the ground through the plate 0, as previously explained. The current is made and broken by means of the spring E in passing over the notches of the wheel F. As this spring comes into contact with a tooth of the wheel F it is raised thereby, and with it the platinum points 9,

thus separating the latter from the platinum point g and causing the current to be broken. Vhen the spring E rides oif one of the teeth its end drops into a notch between two teeth, and thus permits the platinum points 9 g to make contact and complete the circuit.

hen the current is passing through the makeand-break mechanism, it will be made and broken corresponding to the notches in the periphery of the wheel F, the current being made and broken by the spring E riding over the teeth or projections of said wheel. The teeth or projections on the wheel F of each instrument are so spaced and arranged that the current will be broken at such .intervals as will produce the number of that particular instrument or call at the receiving end of the wire, a special disk being provided for each instrument.

The electro1nagnets Q are energized in unison with the making and breaking of the current in the manner just described and record the number in the form of dots and spaces by means of the pin p striking the paper passing between the drums 0 P At the instant the armature Q at the receiving end of the wire is actuated by the magnet Q the bent arm S comes into contact with the under edge of the lever K and raises the same, causing the opposite end of the lever to be lowered and the detent-arm Zto ride out of contact with the pin 7; of this lever. This operation will set the mechanism at the receiving-station into operation, and the number of the telephone-call at the sending-station will be recorded by the instrument at the receivingstation, in the manner above set forth, at each half-revolution of the disk J.

A suitable battery may be included in the circuit to energize the electro-magnets Many slight changes might be made in the constructive details of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof or limiting its scope. Hence I do not wish to limit myself to the precise details of construction shown and described; but,

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is

1. The combination, with a telephone system, of a recorder for recording a signal at a distant station and a device at the senders station adapted to be operated by the sender for automatically recording at the distant station the number of the call of the sender, substantially as set forth.

2. In a telephone system, the combination, with a recording mechanism, of make-andbreak mechanism and a device for throwing the make-and-break mechanism into electrical circuit and simultaneously releasing the recording mechanism, substantially as set forth.

8. In a telephone system, the combination, with a recording mechanism, of a make-andbreak mechanism and a device for throwing the same into electrical circuit and at the same time setting free the recording mechanism, substantially as set fort-h.

4. In a telephone system, the combination, with a device for recording signals, of a makeand-break mechanism, means for throwing the same into electrical circuit, and aspringmotor for automatically throwing the makeand-break mechanism out of circuit after the signal has been recorded, substantially as set forth.

5. In a telephone system, the combination, with a device for recording signals, of a makeand-break mechanism, means for throwing the same into electrical circuit, an electromagnet in the main circuit, recording mechane ism controlled 'by said electro-magnet, and spring-actuating mechanism to operate said device, substantially as set forth.

6. In a telephone system, the combination, with a device for recording signals, of a makeand-break mechanism, an electro-magnet in the main circuit, a pivoted lever secured to the armature of this electro-magnet and provided with a pin at its free end, paper-feeding drums, and suitable mechanism for operating the latter and the make-and-break mechanism, substantially as set forth.

7. In a telephone system, thecombination, with a device for recording signals, of ablock of non-conducting material, a spring secured at one end thereto, a notched wheel upon which this spring is adapted to rest, and mechanism for throwing said spring into electrical circuit and for releasing the actuating mechanism of the notched wheel, substantially as set forth.

8. In a telephone system, the combination, with a device for recording signals, of an insulated block, spring-plates attached thereto and adapted to normally complete a groundconnection, an angle-plate pivoted to the block, a pin projecting from the angle-plate at each side, one adapted to raise a plate to break the ground-connection and the other to make contact with a makeand-break spring, which is also attached to the block, a notched wheel with which said spring makes and breaks contact, and actuating mechanism to opell'ate the apparatus, substantially as set fort 1.

9. In a telephone system, the combination, with a device to record signals, of a makeand-break mechanism and means for throwing the same into electrical circuit, a disk journaled in the device and provided with non-electrical pins at opposite sides, which are adapted to strike an angle-plate at each half-revolution of the disk to automatically throw the make-and-break mechanism out of the electric circuit, a device for rotating said parts, and an electrically-actuated recording mechanism, substantially as set forth.

10. In a telephone system, the combination, with a device for recording signals, of a makeand-break mechanism, means for throwing the same into and out of electrical circuit, a lever pivoted in the device provided at each side of its pivot with a pin, one adapted to ride upon the periphery of a disk journaled in the device and drop into a recess of the disk and the other pin adapted to engage a detent-arm secured to an arbor pivoted in the device to retain the mechanism at'a standstill, and spring-actuating mechanism to operate the apparatus, substantially as set forth.

11. In a telephone system, the combination, with a device for recording signals, of a makeand-break mechanism, means for throwing the same into and out of circuit, a lever having a pin adapted to engage a detent-arm on an arbor of the device to retain the parts at rest, an electro-magnet, a lever pivoted in the device and secured to the armature of said magnet to record a signal when the magnet is energized by the completion of the circuit through the make-and-break mechanism, and an arm secured to this lever and adapted to make contact with a weighted lever and thus free the actuating mechanism when the magnet is energized, and spring-actuating mechanism to operate the device, substantially as set forth.

In testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRED A. 'HOLCOMB.

Witnesses:

E. H. SHERMAN, WM. H. J ONES. 

